Let's examine the intro first...(I'm going straight to the final season 1 intro, the one used for the 9 spring 1980 shows)

So in season 1, we have 4 girls as our first look at students of Eastland, but---they're none of "our girls". I wonder how many of us have watched these girls casually descend the steps of Eastland on campus and wondered, "Who are they?"

I know, I have.

Could one of them be Tumpy's sister Kedgie Barksdale?

Could one of them be Nina Branch, daughter of the amorous Justin Branch whom Blair caught her mother with in flirtations?

We may never know, but can always speculate, lol.

One interesting thing though, there are 4 girls. And there would wind up being 4 girls as the main characters after this introductory season...eerie coincidence!

I have always loved this opening shot of the theme, showing Eastland's exterior. The hallowed pale building covered in green ivy, the look of the windows and doors and those lantern-esque lights, the front bushes bathed in morning sunlight---such a welcoming sight to see right at the beginning of every show.

Then we have the "gaggle of Garrett's girls" scene, lol. One thing I never noticed before----poor Molly, sweet unobtrusive Nancy hogs her space and won't let her in for anything! :lol:

Also, note how when Blair and Sue Ann rush onto the scene, Sue Ann vehemently points at Blair while hurriedly talking to Cindy; I've always wondered, is she pointing in kind of a "Cindy, you won't believe what she did!" kind of way, or in kind of a "Cindy, tell her!" kind of way, or in a kind of "Cindy, she did it!" kind of way, or a kind of "Cindy, she won't--!" kind of way, or whatever kind of way, lol.

And Nancy still won't let Molly see the light of day! :lol:

And then there's the "Bradley's Folly" scene, lol.

Interestingly, 6 of the 7 girls are in this scene---all but Blair. But, Blair is the only girl featured in Charlotte's credit intro clip, giving her behind a double pat. This is interesting in that 1) the only girl not featured in "Bradley's Folly" is featured in the clip before Charlotte's credit, and it makes you wonder if the producers chose that to "balance" out the fact that Blair wasn't in "the Group" that pummels Mr. Bradley :lol: , and 2), it makes you wonder if the producers feel so strongly about Blair at this point that they wanted to include her in Charlotte's clip regardless of any clip she may not have been in.

And now a very interesting question indeed...the clip introducing the girls' cast credits only features 3 girls. And these just happen to be arguably the 3 most heavily favored characters from season 1: Blair, Tootie, and Sue Ann. Could the producers have been onto something at the point when these opening credits were being filmed? Who should they feature in a scene before the girls' credits? The 3 biggest characters among the girls, of course.

Or, if that was coincidence, it sure was quite a coincidence...

Okay, WHO is this man in the outdoor play scene?? :eek: lol...how odd he just stands there watching! (but I gave him his own season 1 style credit, lol)

Also, two non-creepy things of note in this scene:

1) Lisa appears to accidentally "punch" Julie Anne, lol...yikes! (photo 2 - it's a bit hard to tell in the photo, but you can see her fisted arm shoot back to where Julie Anne's head is in the actual clip, lol)

2) Julie P. (perhaps in retaliation for Lisa hitting her character's best friend?) clearly commits a willful act of violence by diving in and strangling Lisa! :lol: (photo 3)

I never before realized what a violent clip this last scene is! lol

Also, they put the more heavily featured/favored girls in the middle (with Lisa square front and center, where the eye is drawn), with those tending toward "lost" status more on the outsides, hmmmmmm....

And now the closing clips (minus the Garrett and Bradley clips)...

Interestingly, not all 7 of the girls have their own featured clip. And Blair has several! lol...she shares the screen with Natalie in her clip, she's with Mrs. Garrett in her own clip, she's seen to the side of Nancy's clip (Nancy's, shared with Sue Ann), and she gets the grand finale clip of that sashay down the stairs in her sophisticated dress. It's obvious the producers had early on picked Blair as the "star" of their show!

Of the other girls, we have some very nice "telling" clips of their characters:

Photo 1 - Natalie being humorous as she mocks beauty beside Blair

Photo 2 - Blair with Mrs. Garrett

Photo 3 - Cindy in an athletic shirt pouring out her athletic spikes after she went down to the flooded basement

Photo 4 - Tootie, the youngest, being silly with a wig

Photo 5 - Molly singing her little heart out

Photo 6 - Nancy admiring lingerie that would turn Roger's head

Funnily enough though, while most of the clips are right around 3 seconds long, "Blair with Mrs. Garrett" is only about half that, roughly 1.5 seconds long.

Now it's interesting that, had the producers pegged Sue Ann as one of the more favored/feature characters when they put together the clips for the closing credits, they didn't give her her own! Frankly I think every girl deserves her own closing credit clip. Sure you can argue Natalie doesn't have her own, as she shares the screen with Blair, but the focus is more on Natalie and her comcial movement. Sue Ann, however, feels like she is "sharing with Nancy in Nancy's clip", as the focus in the lingerie bit is on Nancy showing off those Switched-On Sizzlers, lol; the focus is on Nancy, with Sue Ann just feeling "there". How odd she didn't get her own clip---yet Blair appeared in several!

Okay, WHO is this man in the outdoor play scene?? :eek: lol...how odd he just stands there watching! (but I gave him his own season 1 style credit, lol)

Ahahaha! I laughed so hard! I wonder who that was? I wonder if he even knew he was being recorded for posterity?

The lady who scowls at Mary Tyler Moore as she throws her beret became semi-famous. (https://people.com/tv/mary-tyler-moore-show-opening-sequene-hat-toss-story-pop-culture-tributes/)Where is the love for Creepy Stranger? :lol:


1) Lisa appears to accidentally "punch" Julie Anne, lol...yikes! (photo 2 - it's a bit hard to tell in the photo, but you can see her fisted arm shoot back to where Julie Anne's head is in the actual clip, lol)

2) Julie P. (perhaps in retaliation for Lisa hitting her character's best friend?) clearly commits a willful act of violence by diving in and strangling Lisa! :lol: (photo 3)

Payback for the punches thrown in "Running" no doubt! :lol:


Also, they put the more heavily featured/favored girls in the middle (with Lisa square front and center, where the eye is drawn), with those tending toward "lost" status more on the outsides, hmmmmmm....

Hmmm, indeed!

And now a very interesting question indeed...the clip introducing the girls' cast credits only features 3 girls. And these just happen to be arguably the 3 most heavily favored characters from season 1: Blair, Tootie, and Sue Ann. Could the producers have been onto something at the point when these opening credits were being filmed? Who should they feature in a scene before the girls' credits? The 3 biggest characters among the girls, of course.

Or, if that was coincidence, it sure was quite a coincidence...

I also doubt it was coincidence. By this time, I think the producers knew who would be the focus of Season One. Why else would they show so much of Blair, Sue Ann, and Tootie?

Also, I want to know at what part of the Pomona campus that was taped at. As far as I know, although many people have made trips to the front of the building and walked down the iconic Eastland dorm stairs, no one has ever made a tribute stop at the courtyard location (as well as the wrestling field with Creepy Stranger).

Let's examine the intro first...(I'm going straight to the final season 1 intro, the one used for the 9 spring 1980 shows)

So in season 1, we have 4 girls as our first look at students of Eastland, but---they're none of "our girls". I wonder how many of us have watched these girls casually descend the steps of Eastland on campus and wondered, "Who are they?"

I know, I have.

Could one of them be Tumpy's sister Kedgie Barksdale?

Could one of them be Nina Branch, daughter of the amorous Justin Branch whom Blair caught her mother with in flirtations?

We may never know, but can always speculate, lol.

I definitely have wondered this, too.

Since this is the first season, these four could even include Laura and Jennifer from "The Girls' School".



I have always loved this opening shot of the theme, showing Eastland's exterior. The hallowed pale building covered in green ivy, the look of the windows and doors and those lantern-esque lights, the front bushes bathed in morning sunlight---such a welcoming sight to see right at the beginning of every show.

It definitely is a comforting sight!

In the recent fan videos, one can see the ivy has been removed from Harwood Hall, which I think is a shame. It makes the building feel less Ivy League, less academic. Still, I'm glad the building still exists, and that it can be visited! So many other historic TV monuments have been destroyed over the decades. At least Eastland still exists in some form.

And then there's the "Bradley's Folly" scene, lol.

Interestingly, 6 of the 7 girls are in this scene---all but Blair. But, Blair is the only girl featured in Charlotte's credit intro clip, giving her behind a double pat. This is interesting in that 1) the only girl not featured in "Bradley's Folly" is featured in the clip before Charlotte's credit, and it makes you wonder if the producers chose that to "balance" out the fact that Blair wasn't in "the Group" that pummels Mr. Bradley :lol: , and 2), it makes you wonder if the producers feel so strongly about Blair at this point that they wanted to include her in Charlotte's clip regardless of any clip she may not have been in.

I want to know where this door is! It's clearly also at the Pomona campus. This door was used for the exterior shot of the first season cafeteria, as well. The girls were obviously very hungry!

It is weird that Blair isn't in this scene, but maybe she was on a diet. I guess she didn't learn Sue Ann's lesson! :lol:

Ahahaha! I laughed so hard! I wonder who that was? I wonder if he even knew he was being recorded for posterity?

lol, well I'm glad it made for a good laugh---I have to admit, I never noticed him myself until someone pointed him out here in the past.


The lady who scowls at Mary Tyler Moore as she throws her beret became semi-famous. (https://people.com/tv/mary-tyler-moore-show-opening-sequene-hat-toss-story-pop-culture-tributes/)Where is the love for Creepy Stranger? :lol:

lol, true---maybe he'll follow her lead and come out of the opening credit closet and tell his story! lol

It could be some bystander wondering what the hell was going on with all those cameras and the crew, or maybe it was the wrestling coach wondering when are those damn TV people gonna get off my field, lol, or maybe it was even a crew member posted there for some sort of union or actor/safety rule? Although, if the latter, you'd think they'd get him to move off camera, lol. Whoever he is, it's funny they apparently didn't notice him and ask him to move! lol


many people have made trips to the front of the building and walked down the iconic Eastland dorm stairs

Oh my gosh, I would love to do that!! Although...I dunno, you say that tragically the ivy is gone...that would make it a bittersweet experience, as the ivy is such a part of the campus!


Since this is the first season, these four could even include Laura and Jennifer from "The Girls' School".

I don't think any of those four look like they could be Jennifer and Laura. Granted it's from a distance, but it just doesn't seem like they're any of those girls.


I want to know where this door is!

Lol, you're on a mission!

This door was used for the exterior shot of the first season cafeteria, as well.

Oo, good catch!


The girls were obviously very hungry!

:lol: That bare feet-smelling mystery meat must taste more amazing than it sounds! :lol:


It is weird that Blair isn't in this scene, but maybe she was on a diet. I guess she didn't learn Sue Ann's lesson! :lol:

:lol: Maybe they took Blair's character into consideration and thought that, of all the girls, with her maturity and sophistication she would be the least likely to plow over her headmaster in a mad dash to scramble in for mystery meat, lol.

lol, true---maybe he'll follow her lead and come out of the opening credit closet and tell his story! lol

It could be some bystander wondering what the hell was going on with all those cameras and the crew, or maybe it was the wrestling coach wondering when are those damn TV people gonna get off my field, lol, or maybe it was even a crew member posted there for some sort of union or actor/safety rule? Although, if the latter, you'd think they'd get him to move off camera, lol. Whoever he is, it's funny they apparently didn't notice him and ask him to move! lol

But in 1979, home viewers didn't have the ability to pause a video, let alone take a screen capture and post it online. It was a different time, and some jerk standing off in the background would have been shrugged off. I suspect CS was just a bystander, and no one cared if there was some guy in the background of a few frames of videotape.

Besides, that campus looks otherwise empty; it's kinda nice seeing a living person in the background, even if he is a Creepy Stranger.


Oh my gosh, I would love to do that!! Although...I dunno, you say that tragically the ivy is gone...that would make it a bittersweet experience, as the ivy is such a part of the campus!

Even without the ivy, I hope to one day see "Eastland" in person. Though it's a shame about the ivy.


:lol: That bare feet-smelling mystery meat must taste more amazing than it sounds! :lol:

:lol: I suspect they rush in for the cinnamon buns, which seem to be the other staple of the Season One Cafeteria.


:lol: Maybe they took Blair's character into consideration and thought that, of all the girls, with her maturity and sophistication she would be the least likely to plow over her headmaster in a mad dash to scramble in for mystery meat, lol.

Hahaha! Could be!

But in 1979, home viewers didn't have the ability to pause a video, let alone take a screen capture and post it online. It was a different time, and some jerk standing off in the background would have been shrugged off. I suspect CS was just a bystander, and no one cared if there was some guy in the background of a few frames of videotape.

Yeah I meant more the crew, though; just for the attention to detail and a "clean" frame, you'd think the cameraman would have noticed him in the view and been like "Hey buddy, could ya move it?", lol.

Oh well---it gives us something interesting to discuss 39 years later! :lol:


Besides, that campus looks otherwise empty; it's kinda nice seeing a living person in the background, even if he is a Creepy Stranger.

Haha, that's true!

Nice! You should analyze the cast credit scenes and the early versions of the intro too

Nice! You should analyze the cast credit scenes and the early versions of the intro too

I agree with Lorimar!

lol, well first I'm going to bed! :lol:

lol, well first I'm going to bed! :lol:

Bed, schmed! We need more analysis! :lol:;)

Alright, the girls:

So, Lisa always got top billing as Blair, sharing alongside Felice as Nancy (perhaps the producers did that as a favor to Felice, as she was the first one hired, the first one who had a starring role at Eastland).

Then the Julies share billing for the "Rough Housing", which is really nice, but then Julie Anne gets demoted to 3rd billing sharing with 2 other girls.

While Kim, who was billed last (if you generally read top to bottom, and then left to right, you would read "Molly > Natalie > Tootie" in RH's credit sequence, although Kim's credit is higher and Mindy's is lower, so maybe they thought that equaled things out [like Ted Danson and Shelley Long's similar credits on "Cheers"] ), gets bumped up to sharing 2nd billing with Julie P., while Cindy is booted down to sharing 3rd billing with the Ms (Molly and Mindy).

"Rough Housing" billing:

-

Then for whatever odd reason, they do just mock-up stand-arounds for the opening credits the remaining 3 shows of 1979 (??).

Here is where Kim gets booted up to sharing 2nd billing with Julie P., and Julie Anne is shuffled down to 3rd billing with the Ms (it could be Mindy was maybe "billed last" because of being the low-actress on the totem pole, having had no experience before; a theory, anyway):

-

And then, the season 1 credits most of us think of when we think of season 1:

As a kid, my favorite part was always the "accordion fold-out" credits of Molly, Cindy, and Natalie---that was such fun, and with the musical high accompanying it, it always gave me such a rush!

(but poor Mindy, I can't help but think she wasn't thrilled with the camera freezing on her making a face, lol)

-

Now, if you want a conspiracy theory, you could say this is how Molly, Julie Ann, and Mindy ended up the last 3 being billed: ;)

-

Alright, the girls:

So, Lisa always got top billing as Blair, sharing alongside Felice as Nancy (perhaps the producers did that as a favor to Felice, as she was the first one hired, the first one who had a starring role at Eastland).

Then the Julies share billing for the "Rough Housing", which is really nice, but then Julie Anne gets demoted to 3rd billing sharing with 2 other girls.

While Kim, who was billed last (if you generally read top to bottom, and then left to right, you would read "Molly > Natalie > Tootie" in RH's credit sequence, although Kim's credit is higher and Mindy's is lower, so maybe they thought that equaled things out [like Ted Danson and Shelley Long's similar credits on "Cheers"] ), gets bumped up to sharing 2nd billing with Julie P., while Cindy is booted down to sharing 3rd billing with the Ms (Molly and Mindy).

"Rough Housing" billing:

-
I always thought the way they did the credits in "Rough Housing" was weird, especially the three-way split with Molly/Mindy/Kim. Molly's box is so much bigger. I definitely preferred the equal boxes they did later on in the season.

Also, it's clear the editors were rushed on time: they didn't bother to find good moments where all the girls are smiling. Instead, Julie and Julie Anne look like they're attending a funeral. Mindy has to share her box with Lisa, and Molly has to share her box with Felice. Why would they use these shots?!

(Then again, this is a network which didn't even manage to get any promotional photos for the show until mid-season.)

I do think it was a nice touch to have Cindy and Sue Ann together. I assume they were going in order of character age, with the oldest girls first.

Then for whatever odd reason, they do just mock-up stand-arounds for the opening credits the remaining 3 shows of 1979 (??).

Here is where Kim gets booted up to sharing 2nd billing Julie P., and Julie Anne is shuffled down to 3rd billing with the Ms (it could be Mindy was maybe "billed last" because of being the low-actress on the totem pole, having had no experience before; a theory, anyway):

-

These credits are apropos in a way because Blair's credit appears when she's standing in front of her painting of Notre Dame, and Sue Anne's credit appears when she's standing in front of the trophies on the mantle. Kinda a nice touch!

And at least everyone is smiling here! I think they forgot that the show was a comedy, when they were doing the opening credits for "Rough Housing".

And then, the season 1 credits most of us think of when we think of season 1:

As a kid, my favorite part was always the "accordion fold-out" credits of Molly, Cindy, and Natalie---that was such fun, and with the musical high accompanying it, it always gave me such a rush!

I always liked the accordion fold out credit for the three of them, too.


(but poor Mindy, I can't help but think she wasn't thrilled with the camera freezing on her making a face, lol)

-

Mindy might have been less embarrassed than Kim, what with Kim's "bust shot", there (in the episode that scene came from, she was talking about boobs).

Now, if you want a conspiracy theory, you could say this is how Molly, Julie Ann, and Mindy ended up the last 3 being billed: ;)

-
:lol:

Poor Emily Mahoney! She knows she's getting a pink slip!

I always thought the way they did the credits in "Rough Housing" was weird, especially the three-way split with Molly/Mindy/Kim. Molly's box is so much bigger. I definitely preferred the equal boxes they did later on in the season.

Yes, with the long Molly shot and the two half-sized Natalie 'n Tootie shots, and the camera movements of Molly's and Natalie's going in different directions, it's such a jumble of boxes! No wonder Mr. Littlemathfield thought there were "10 or 12 girls"! :lol: (if he ever visits this board he will see that he will never live that quote down!)


Also, it's clear the editors were rushed on time: they didn't bother to find good moments where all the girls are smiling. Instead, Julie and Julie Anne look like they're attending a funeral.

Haha, true...they definitely could have done better had they tried.


Mindy has to share her box with Lisa, and Molly has to share her box with Felice. Why would they use these shots?!

It's even worse than that! lol! Molly moves stage R passing Felice, Lisa, and maybe another girl, while Mindy's box features Lisa and I maybe another girl as well (it's such a jumbled-up screen there that you have to go back for details, lol). And Lisa's features about 3/4 or 4/5 of Julie Anne as she's coming down the stairs, lol.


(Then again, this is a network which didn't even manage to get any promotional photos for the show until mid-season.)

True, and how odd, seeing as they were desperate for anything to be a hit!


I do think it was a nice touch to have Cindy and Sue Ann together. I assume they were going in order of character age, with the oldest girls first.

That does seem right. I had always assumed Julie Anne was billed higher for RH because the episode was about her, and plans were to make her a big part of the show. But then everything gets shuffled around when Kim moves up and Julie Anne moves down, lol.


Mindy might have been less embarrassed than Kim, what with Kim's "bust shot", there (in the episode that scene came from, she was talking about boobs).

lol, could be, but at least with Kim's if you're unfamiliar with the scene/line, you might just see a "proud girl puffing herself out". Natalie is the jokester of the crew and they couldn't even let her smile! lol


:lol:

Poor Emily Mahoney! She knows she's getting a pink slip!

:D

Yes, with the long Molly shot and the two half-sized Natalie 'n Tootie shots, and the camera movements of Molly's and Natalie's going in different directions, it's such a jumble of boxes! No wonder Mr. Littlemathfield thought there were "10 or 12 girls"! :lol: (if he ever visits this board he will see that he will never live that quote down!)

Haha! Well, no disrespect to Mr. Littlefield, but I wish he wouldn't have exaggerated the number of girls. It just comes across as a straw man argument.

It is true, however, that episodes 2,3, and 4 do have a very weird assembly of jumbled boxes for the opening credits, and that couldn't have helped, especially when you often see more than one person in some of the boxes.


It's even worse than that! lol! Molly moves stage R passing Felice, Lisa, and maybe another girl, while Mindy's box features Lisa and I maybe another girl as well (it's such a jumbled-up screen there that you have to go back for details, lol). And Lisa's features about 3/4 or 4/5 of Julie Anne as she's coming down the stairs, lol.

Yes, I see what you are saying. It's all very jumbled. Whoever assembled that particular opening credit sequence needed retraining.

The funny thing is that the show was taped at Metromedia, which had excellent video production facilities at the time, and many other highly successful shows were taped at Metromedia Square, including Diff'rent Strokes, All in the Family, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times, 227, Mama's Family, etc.


That does seem right. I had always assumed Julie Anne was billed higher for RH because the episode was about her, and plans were to make her a big part of the show. But then everything gets shuffled around when Kim moves up and Julie Anne moves down, lol.

It was clear that Tootie was a hit, hence Kim's higher billing, I'm sure.

It is true, however, that episodes 2,3, and 4 do have a very weird assembly of jumbled boxes for the opening credits, and that couldn't have helped, especially when you often see more than one person in some of the boxes.


Well that's just the intro for RH, done for that episode alone; shows 2, 3, and 4 have the fakey mock-up "stand-around" credits done during the filming of LM,LD.


See? There are too many season 1 openings, so everything's even more jumbled! :lol:

Well that's just the intro for RH, done for that episode alone; shows 2, 3, and 4 have the fakey mock-up "stand-around" credits done during the filming of LM,LD.


See? There are too many season 1 openings, so everything's even more jumbled! :lol:

True.

I seriously wonder why they did that, too. We didn't see a bunch of different opening sequences for most of the later seasons. Not that I'm complaining; the final opening credits are quite well done. It's just weird that it took them that many times to get it right. But I suppose "It takes a lot to get 'em right". :lol:

Checking out the opening credits for "Rough Housing", I see there is a brief scene of four girls (the same four girls walking out of the dorm) going into an ivy-covered building. Two of these girls look very similar to "Nina" and "Possibly Kedgie", the two girls we see at the very beginning of the episode, inside the dorm: one girl has very 1970s blond Farrah hair, and the other girl has longer brown hair. I suspect this scene was shot around the same time as "Rough Housing", since these credits do not otherwise use footage from other episodes: not from "The Girls' School", and not from later episodes, either. We only see footage from "Rough Housing".

Now, if you want a conspiracy theory, you could say this is how Molly, Julie Ann, and Mindy ended up the last 3 being billed: ;)

-
:lol:

But I suppose "It takes a lot to get 'em right". :lol:

:lol:

"When you're filmin' The Facts of Life!" lol

Great points and screenshots! They really could be the link! lol

:lol:

:D

And look! Thanks to computers, we can edit our own opening credits! Here's another accordion fold-out they could have inserted for "Dope", lol ;)

-

And look! Thanks to computers, we can edit our own opening credits! Here's another accordion fold-out they could have inserted for "Dope", lol ;)

-

Ahahahaha!!! :lol:

Those captions are GREAT!

Ahahahaha!!! :lol:

Those captions are GREAT!

heehee, here's another showcasing an "unsung hero" of the show! lol (okay, it's a season 2 snippet, but it's a good closer shot of him, haha)

-

heehee, here's another showcasing an "unsung hero" of the show! lol (okay, it's a season 2 snippet, but it's a good closer shot of him, haha)

-

Very cute!

But if you're using Microsoft Paint, you should write the text in black, then do a new text box in white, and write the same text, then move the white text on top of the black text. This will give the illusion of a black drop shadow behind the white text, simulating the look of the other credits.

Very cute!

But if you're using Microsoft Paint, you should write the text in black, then do a new text box in white, and write the same text, then move the white text on top of the black text. This will give the illusion of a black drop shadow behind the white text, simulating the look of the other credits.

Wow...yeah, I guess that's a supposedly good "work-around" since there's no "shadow" option, thanks, lol (it just sounded like too much work at first, but now that I read over it again it doesn't seem bad, haha)

No, it shouldn't be difficult at all! It's just adding a little more text, for added "authenticity".

Yup, it takes a little extra time, but it does work, lol...here's a "front door edition" of a guest star accordion fold-out, lol:

-

Haha! That's awesome!!!

And just to add "him" in as well, lol:

-

LMAO! These are awesome!

LMAO! These are awesome!

Aren't they? '80sSitcoms has kept me in stitches for weeks with his hilarious commentary and silly credit parodies. I just re-read this thread and still can't stop laughing. I think my favorite still is "Linda Ronstadt as 'Tumpy'". :lol:

Always glad to spread laughter! lol

Tumpy traveled to the beat of a different bong!

^---hahaha! What a "bad girl" avatar! :lol:

Tumpy traveled to the beat of a different bong!

Now, the world don't move
To the beat of just one bong
What might be right for Tump
May not work in this song!

A girl is born
She's a girl that's mean
Then along come two
They got pot inside their jeans

The Group's got, Diff'rent Strokes
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes
To move the world

Emily has got a special kind of ganja
Tumpy finds a way to get high
It don't matter that you got a bag of pot
So what
You hit it
It hits you
We'll all recline
And together we'll get high....

Because it takes
Diff'rent Strokes to move the world
Yes it does
It takes
Diff'rent Strokes to move the world

^---hahaha! What a "bad girl" avatar! :lol:
Ooh! An avatar of "The Group"! :lol:

Now, the world don't move
To the beat of just one bong
What might be right for Tump
May not work in this song!

A girl is born
She's a girl that's mean
Then along come two
They got pot inside their jeans

But they got, Diff'rent Strokes
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes
To move the world

Emily has got a special kind of ganja
Tumpy finds a way to get high
It don't matter that you got a bag of pot
So what
You hit it
It hits you
We'll all recline
And together we'll get high....

Because it takes
Diff'rent Strokes to move the world
Yes it does
It takes
Diff'rent Strokes to move the world

Ahhhhhhh,hahahahahahaha! :rotflmao: That's great!!

Glad to entertain!

And with Anna's new avatar, I thought it was only appropriate to invite her to "The Group".

Glad to entertain!

And with Anna's new avatar, I thought it was only appropriate to invite her to "The Group".

She's a shoo-in that way, for sure! :lol:

She's a shoe-in that way, for sure! :lol:
Well, a shoo-in, anyway! ;)

...Though maybe she has her shoe in something.

Argh! That's what I get for staying up too late! (along with arriving to work late :lol: )

Fix'd ;)

Whoa, weird...I was trying to open a FOL video to go get something, and then it got stuck during this "rotating block" transition during the opening. :lol:

-

Whoa! Look at this keen image I found! Someone spread out all the girls' credits from "Rough Housing" 's intro into one image! Cool!

I always knew Cindy's was a close-up, but it's odd seeing her so close compared to her 6 other farther-away friends, lol.

-

Yeah, Julie Anne's head is literally six times the size of Mindy's head. That seems a bit weird.

The guy who did this image also did a line count for "Rough Housing"! And the girl with the most lines is---my Cindy! :D (of course, lol)

Now, IF he did the line counting right, here is the tally he got, which is interesting to see for the first show of FOL proper:


Vital Statistics:


Catchphrase count: 0 (One presumes Gary Coleman was not licensed to say “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” outside of his own show. Tootie will later adopt, “We are in trou-ble!”, but she’s only got two lines in this episode)
Fat Joke Count: 1
Short Joke Count: 1
Boob Joke Count: 2
Sex Joke Count: 2
Threats of Violence: 2
Line Count:

Cindy: 37
Blair: 35
Tootie: 5
Nancy/Sue Anne/Molly: 4
Natalie: 3




And his article on screening RH is here (https://www.trenchcoatsoft.com/2018/08/15/taking-the-good-and-the-bad-the-facts-of-life-1x01-rough-housing/).

The guy who did this image also did a line count for "Rough Housing"! And the girl with the most lines is---my Cindy! :D (of course, lol)

Now, IF he did the line counting right, here is the tally he got, which is interesting to see for the first show of FOL proper:


Vital Statistics:


Catchphrase count: 0 (One presumes Gary Coleman was not licensed to say “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” outside of his own show. Tootie will later adopt, “We are in trou-ble!”, but she’s only got two lines in this episode)
Fat Joke Count: 1
Short Joke Count: 1
Boob Joke Count: 2
Sex Joke Count: 2
Threats of Violence: 2
Line Count:

Cindy: 37
Blair: 35
Tootie: 5
Nancy/Sue Anne/Molly: 4
Natalie: 3





And his article on screening RH is here (https://www.trenchcoatsoft.com/2018/08/15/taking-the-good-and-the-bad-the-facts-of-life-1x01-rough-housing/).

Eh. It's a decent review, but the author doesn't bother to get the characters' names right (Sue Ann is referred to as "Sue Anne" and "Sue Ellen" repeatedly), and he instead spends most of his time talking about SJW issues, forgetting this was long, long before the SJW movement. It's kind of like criticizing All in the Family because the main character, "Ernie Bunker", is a bigot. Somehow, the show should have been more progressive. Except, of course, these shows were progressive.

Thanks for the link anyway.

Eh. It's a decent review, but the author doesn't bother to get the characters' names right (Sue Ann is referred to as "Sue Anne" and "Sue Ellen" repeatedly), and he instead spends most of his time talking about SJW issues, forgetting this was long, long before the SJW movement. It's kind of like criticizing All in the Family because the main character, "Ernie Bunker", is a bigot. Somehow, the show should have been more progressive. Except, of course, these shows were progressive.

Thanks for the link anyway.

Yeah I didn't read it because I knew what sort of a review it was, I just skimmed through it.

But you haven't commented on the line count!

You know, that thing Lisa said that didn't happen at the studio. ;)

But you haven't commented on the line count!

You know, that thing Lisa said that didn't happen at the studio. ;)

Haha! Well, as we know, some of the actors and actresses counted their lines, but maybe Lisa did not and wasn't aware of it.

Somewhere, I have a notebook where I kept track of line counts for the first season (and possibly up through mid-season three), but I can't find it now. I wonder where I put it?

Haha! Well, as we know, some of the actors and actresses counted their lines, but maybe Lisa did not and wasn't aware of it.

Somewhere, I have a notebook where I kept track of line counts for the first season (and possibly up through mid-season three), but I can't find it now. I wonder where I put it?

Oo, I hope you find it---that was a lot of work! :eek:

Of course we know Cindy and Blair will have the most lines out of all of those "10, 12 girls" in that episode ;) , but it does look a little jarring to see that Cindy and Blair had 35 lines or greater, while the other girls all had 5 or less!

I never understood why they put Jenny in the credits, she was in like 4 episodes and they had to re-do the credits because she left (why did she leave anyway?). The credits in season 1 always seemed a little off and had no rhyme or reason. It was weird how the ending credits didn’t actually have scenes from the actual episode but clips from all of season 1.

I never understood why they put Jenny in the credits, she was in like 4 episodes and they had to re-do the credits because she left (why did she leave anyway?).

They produced four episodes, and then went on hiatus for a few months. According to Kim's book, the show was retooled at that point, as the ratings were low, and NBC wanted a hit.

She doesn't mention Jenny, but Jenny left at that point, and there was a slight change of focus: Tootie and Blair were bumped in in prominence, Nancy was bumped down in prominence, and when they came off hiatus in early 1980, the grandfather clock and globe were different.

I suspect that NBC execs were already having an aneurysm about the number of characters. They freaked out about the number of characters at a school, which has always struck me as odd. Every other show about a school has a large cast; that's kind of the thing about a school: there are going to be a lot of people in the building.


The credits in season 1 always seemed a little off and had no rhyme or reason.

The Season 1 credits seem to have been sorted by the girls' ages. This was changed after the retooling, when Tootie was bumped up in prominence.


It was weird how the ending credits didn’t actually have scenes from the actual episode but clips from all of season 1.

I believe the answer is this: NBC was cheap, and wasn't going to pay an editor to do different end credit scenes for each episode. They weren't convinced that the show would be a hit, and kept changing things to see what would work.

Yeah I didn't read it because I knew what sort of a review it was, I just skimmed through it.

But you haven't commented on the line count!

You know, that thing Lisa said that didn't happen at the studio. ;)

What was it?

What was it?

Line counting. Lisa said the actors didn't count their lines.

But John Lawlor said he counted his, and always worried when his line count was low. And Felice, of course, went to the producers when she read the scripts, and her role was so reduced, asking what was going on.

It was weird how the ending credits didn’t actually have scenes from the actual episode but clips from all of season 1.

I actually like this, though. It's cute :) And it gives "character" to the first season.


But John Lawlor said he counted his, and always worried when his line count was low.

Oh, when you've repeated before how John Lawlor said there was line-counting going on, I thought you meant he was referring to knowing that some of the girls were counting their lines.

If I had been one of several peers on the show, I would have been counting my lines, too! (unless I had been "the Blair" of the bunch, and didn't need to worry about it! lol)

Oh, when you've repeated before how John Lawlor said there was line-counting going on, I thought you meant he was referring to knowing that some of the girls were counting their lines.

He phrased it in a general way, like, 'when you get your script, and you see you have no lines again, you freak out' (paraphrased). He could have been talking about the Lost Girls, or himself, or Jenny O'Hara, or any combination thereof. But he was definitely not talking about Mrs. G, Blair, or Tootie. :lol:

It's in the E! True Hollywood Story interview.

Line counting. Lisa said the actors didn't count their lines.

But John Lawlor said he counted his, and always worried when his line count was low. And Felice, of course, went to the producers when she read the scripts, and her role was so reduced, asking what was going on.

Well he WAS the only male and the only one let go of the cast that remained for the 1980 half to never show up again

He phrased it in a general way, like, 'when you get your script, and you see you have no lines again, you freak out' (paraphrased). He could have been talking about the Lost Girls, or himself, or Jenny O'Hara, or any combination thereof. But he was definitely not talking about Mrs. G, Blair, or Tootie. :lol:

It's in the E! True Hollywood Story interview.

Or Sue Ann ;):D

Well he WAS the only male and the only one let go of the cast that remained for the 1980 half to never show up again

I wouldn't have counted mine had I been Mr. Lawlor. I mean he was the only adult male in the cast, the 2nd billed cast member, and he was the leader of the school. So of course he'll have lines in every episode.*

*(until they cut him out after season 1!)


Or Sue Ann ;):D

Yes! The 2nd most-featured girl after Blair!

(although Tootie was a breakout, she only had 1 1/2 episodes, "Overachieving" and half of "Flash Flood", whereas Sue Ann had more like 3 episodes: "Dieting", "Dope", half of "I.Q.", and [really more than] half of "Running").

I wouldn't have counted mine had I been Mr. Lawlor. I mean he was the only adult male in the cast, the 2nd billed cast member, and he was the leader of the school. So of course he'll have lines in every episode.*

*(until they cut him out after season 1!)

But Mr. Bradley leaves the episode partway through, on several occasions.


Yes! The 2nd most-featured girl after Blair!

(although Tootie was a breakout, she only had 1 1/2 episodes, "Overachieving" and half of "Flash Flood", whereas Sue Ann had more like 3 episodes: "Dieting", "Dope", half of "I.Q.", and [really more than] half of "Running").

Good point about Sue Ann, guys. She definitely was heavily featured during the first season.

But Mr. Bradley leaves the episode partway through, on several occasions.

To me it feels different saying he "leaves the episode partway" because he doesn't live in the dorm, where the episodes are situated (whereas it sticks out like a sore thumb when Cindy and her wallpaper friend Nancy leave after [roughly] 35% of an episode). The thing is, as the only male in the cast, and an adult male, he had no competition. So regardless of how few lines I may have had as him in an episode, I wouldn't have felt threatened at all because there were no other adult males competing for camera time. I wouldn't have bothered counting my lines. Had I been an adolescent girl though, anyone but Lisa, I would have been counting them in every script! lol

To me it feels different saying he "leaves the episode partway" because he doesn't live in the dorm, where the episodes are situated (whereas it sticks out like a sore thumb when Cindy and her wallpaper friend Nancy leave after [roughly] 35% of an episode). The thing is, as the only male in the cast, and an adult male, he had no competition. So regardless of how few lines I may have had as him in an episode, I wouldn't have felt threatened at all because there were no other adult males competing for camera time. I wouldn't have bothered counting my lines. Had I been an adolescent girl though, anyone but Lisa, I would have been counting them in every script! lol

I don't know what being an adult male has to do with the number of lines. If you're not in a bunch of scenes, you're not in a bunch of scenes. And an actor has to worry, if s/he isn't getting any lines, and is absent from most scenes. It seems as though John worried about his part as much as Felice.

I don't know what being an adult male has to do with the number of lines.

There is no competition as the only adult male, and the authority figure of the entire school. You are definitely going to have lines, as no one else can fulfill your particular role. As 1 of "10, 12 girls", there is fierce competition; not every girl is needed (they should be, but they weren't written that way).

And an actor has to worry, if s/he isn't getting any lines, and is absent from most scenes. It seems as though John worried about his part as much as Felice.

But he had lines in every show, and he was there in every show. Being as he did not live in the dorm, I wouldn't expect him to be on screen throughout the episode. I can see why Felice panicked, but if I had been John I would have been relaxing on Easy Street.

There is no competition as the only adult male, and the authority figure of the entire school. You are definitely going to have lines, as no one else can fulfill your particular role. As 1 of "10, 12 girls", there is fierce competition; not every girl is needed (they should be, but they weren't written that way).

But he had lines in every show, and he was there in every show. Being as he did not live in the dorm, I wouldn't expect him to be on screen throughout the episode. I can see why Felice panicked, but if I had been John I would have been relaxing on Easy Street.

I suspect there are several episodes where John has about as many lines as Felice, though. If you had as many lines as Felice, wouldn't you panic?

And John had his own set, in Mr. Bradley's office, so its not like they couldn't have shot over there when he left the dorm.

I suspect there are several episodes where John has about as many lines as Felice, though. If you had as many lines as Felice, wouldn't you panic?

Not if I were the headmaster, no. I would know* my place in the show was solidified and untouchable, so I would always be guaranteed material.

*(until they retooled the show! lol)


And John had his own set, in Mr. Bradley's office, so its not like they couldn't have shot over there when he left the dorm.

As Mr. Bradley, since the show was about the girls, I wouldn't have really expected scenes in my own setting.

This is all my thought process if I had been in his shoes, though. Maybe other actors would have been worrying, or expecting more.

Not if I were the headmaster, no. I would know* my place in the show was solidified and untouchable, so I would always be guaranteed material.


:lol:

Well, it seems as though he was right on the money.

Thanks to fellow poster RetroGuy2000 for finding this gem (https://jgtwo.com/2015/02/10/mysterious-figure-spotted-in-historical-document/) on the Peekskill Information Superhighway! (a.k.a., "the Internet!")

:lol:

Jeans Man lives

Jeans Man lives

Does he?? If so, I wish he would post here on what the heck he was doing there! :lol:

Does he?? If so, I wish he would post here on what the heck he was doing there! :lol:

Well he's still a figure in the distance but he's watching us......

Well he's still a figure in the distance but he's watching us......

Every time we pop in those DVDs! lol

http://basementrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/facts-of-life-season-1-title-card-opening-song-episode-guide-list-review-300x235.jpg

If anyones interested I posted some intro stills on the Family Matters board. Only of the seasons that count though.

I definitely have wondered this, too.

Since this is the first season, these four could even include Laura and Jennifer from "The Girls' School".




It definitely is a comforting sight!

In the recent fan videos, one can see the ivy has been removed from Harwood Hall, which I think is a shame. It makes the building feel less Ivy League, less academic. Still, I'm glad the building still exists, and that it can be visited! So many other historic TV monuments have been destroyed over the decades. At least Eastland still exists in some form.

Someone told me once that the girls that run out of the dormatory at the beginning of the intro during the Miss Mahoney era of the FOL were students from Westlake used as extras and were not professional actresses.

Someone told me once that the girls that run out of the dormatory at the beginning of the intro during the Miss Mahoney era of the FOL were students from Westlake used as extras and were not professional actresses.

If true, that is really cool. I very much like the idea of adding a layer of authenticity to Eastland by depicting real girls' school students as girls' school students. Plus, with Mindy being there, the show featuring a real-life boarding school girl, fiction becomes... dare I say it? A little factual. :lol:

In the Rough Housing episode there were a few girls that came down the stairs and went out the back door never to be seen again. A couple of them look like the girls who ran out the doors of the dormitory at the show's first intro.

In the Rough Housing episode there were a few girls that came down the stairs and went out the back door never to be seen again. A couple of them look like the girls who ran out the doors of the dormitory at the show's first intro.

Yes, there were 2 girls. We have had discussions here before that we like to think one of them is Nina Branch, another girl who apparently lives in that dorm who is the daughter of Justin Branch, whom Blair's mother makes an intimate reconnection with in episode 2, "Like Mother, Like Daughter".

:2bump for cfr! Now he can join in the discussion! :wave:

Someone told me once that the girls that run out of the dormatory at the beginning of the intro during the Miss Mahoney era of the FOL were students from Westlake used as extras and were not professional actresses.

Wow, real boarding school girls :)

Wow, real boarding school girls :)

Yes, they do exist! :lol: :wave:

Yes, they do exist! :lol: :wave:

:lol::lol::lol:

Yeah they do look like the girls in the s1 intro shot

Eightsy gave me an idea in the other thread! What do we think the girls are talking about in their credit scenes? He covered Lisa and Felice, here’s what Julie and Kim were pointing and laughing about:

Eightsy gave me an idea in the other thread! What do we think the girls are talking about in their credit scenes? He covered Lisa and Felice, here’s what Julie and Kim were pointing and laughing about:

Ahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:brent

Good one!

Oh, those mean girls!! :lol:

Eightsy gave me an idea in the other thread! What do we think the girls are talking about in their credit scenes?

Oh, you mean from this, lol...I call it..."Confident Felice's Irony Just After 'The Girls' School', lol.

-

Oh, you mean from this, lol...I call it..."Confident Felice's Irony Just After 'The Girls' School', lol.

-

Felice seeing IQ: haha that silly Lisa! I’m in this script WAY more than she is!

Felice seeing IQ: haha that silly Lisa! I’m in this script WAY more than she is! E

Yup! After TGS she think it's gonna be "Nancy's show", so she thinks Lisa's being ridiculous---little does she know!!

Yup! After TGS she think it's gonna be "Nancy's show", so she thinks Lisa's being ridiculous---little does she know!!

The Nancy Show! Starring Felice Schacter as Nancy
Also starring Charlotte Rae

;)

Felice: " I have the highest IQ among the cast and now my character does to. I am going to be a star. I will have it where Nancy Olson shares all my interests and career goals. I am a such an ALL AM-ERI-CAN genius."